


Comfort Food

by neverlanded



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-11 15:32:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2073516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neverlanded/pseuds/neverlanded
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico has a habit of running away in times of needed comfort. Jason spends the gaps between his visits wishing he'd run to him instead. When Nico (practically) drops out of the sky again, Jason becomes determined to keep him around for good this time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reprise

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be an everyone-is-happy-and-alive kind of fic, except maybe not the happy part because I need some kind of plot.
> 
> (Side note: Let's not question how Calypso got off her island. Leo/Calypso + happily ever after. End of.)

"You stupid, bloody  _door_ -" Jason muttered under his breath, his fingers - now itching and red with cold - tugging at the door handles of the entrance to his building. He pulled again, nearly growling when the door groaned in protest. Despite him having punched in the correct access code a grand total of twenty-seven times, it refused to budge.  

_I hate you. You ridiculously ancient building from Tartarus, I hate you so much._

Thalia had set him up in literally the worst place in the entire city (a mild exaggeration). When she had surprised  him on his eighteenth birthday with the keys, she told him the apartment "had character" and that living away from camp would be "an opportunity for new, amazing experiences". For the last month that he had been living in his new apartment - a place brimming with the potential for amazing experiences, truly - he had never felt more out of place.

Granted, Jason was more stable than others his age. He taught regular lessons at both Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood, thanks to the unity treaty that had been implemented after the war. He continued to train vigorously with his fellow Romans. He made regular trips to New York to see Leo and Calypso, who were both active representatives of Camp Half-Blood. Meetings with Frank and Hazel were frequent, even with their busy schedules, and he and Percy often co-taught. It wasn't like he was  _lonely_.  

He had every reason to be doing okay. Instead...he kind of just felt lost.

Dejected and more than a little frustrated, Jason turned on his heel. He flipped the hood of his jacket over his head to block out what seemed to be the longest downpour of the summer, his feet taking him down the street to his favourite Vietnamese restaurant. His building hated him, the weather hated him, and his stomach clearly hated him too. It grumbled desperately for his weekly bowl of pho as he found himself some temporary shelter.

The waitress that greeted him gave him a smile of recognition, directing him to an empty table by a window.

He waited patiently for his food, his previous agitation ebbing away as he stared out onto the street. To pass time, he counted one mom passing with her kids, three red cars, two buses, four McDonald's bags, an aviator jacket-

His head snapped up. Aviator jacket? Where had he seen...

His eyes sought him out again, watching as the boy hurried down the block. His jacket made his frame look fuller than it was, but Jason knew that the kid was slight enough to melt into shadows unnoticed. His black hair spilled like ink from under his hoodie, dripping with rainwater. Long, tan fingers shot out of his pocket to smooth the slick strands away from his forehead. He entered the restaurant and Jason released a breath of silent amusement. Of all the places in the world...

"Table for one?" the waitress asked him. Nico - it  _was_  Nico, after all - opened his mouth to answer, before Jason decided that it was now or never.  

"He's - he's with me!" Jason called, sliding out of his seat. He flushed as several heads turned to look at him.  _Way to go, Grace. Very smooth_.

Nico's eyes widened, noticing Jason for the first time. "Uh - Jason?"

"Here," Jason said, guiding Nico towards his table. He patted him on the back in what was supposed to be a welcoming gesture; it came off as a little awkward when Nico stiffened under his touch.

"Small world," Nico murmured, warily slipping into the seat across from him.

"Yeah. What're you doing in San Francisco?" Jason asked, absorbing the finer details of Nico's face. It seemed longer, sharpened with a little more age. How long has it been since he's since him last? Half a year? Longer? Despite his - and Hazel's - best efforts, Nico could never be persuaded to stay in one place for longer than a week.  

"Just checking in," he shrugged, steadily avoiding Jason's gaze.  _Damn. Each time I feel like I'm getting somewhere, he disappears for months and returns a stranger._  "I'm just dropping off some stuff I got for Hazel."

His food had arrived and he watched as Nico's eyes not-so-subtly devoured its contents. Jason pushed the bowl towards him, a knowing grin stretching on his face. "Take it, I'll just order another."

"You sure?" Nico asked, his voice dripping with hesitancy. Jason didn't miss the way his fingers seemed to be twitching towards the bowl.

"Yeah, man, have at it." Oh, lovely, now he sounded like Leo. He tried again, clearing his throat. "So, what kind of stuff did you get Hazel?"

"Souvenirs, mostly. Useless, tourist knickknacks," Nico answered, lifting a spoonful of broth to his mouth. Jason could have sworn his eyes closed a little as the taste registered. That did more to appease him than words could. "This is...it's good."

"Best I've had yet," Jason smiled, feeling more smug than necessary. "You've been travelling a lot, huh? We barely see you anymore."

 _Where do you go, Nico di Angelo?_ The question hung in the air between them, thick like fog. 

Nico took his time to answer. "I spend most of my time in Italy," he replied carefully, his voice distant as he concentrated on working the noodles with his chopsticks.

"Do you...do you live there now?" Jason asked, gulping down the urge to demand why he wouldn't just live with them, his friends. His choices were his own, but Jason felt - and not for the first time - that Nico was slipping through his fingers.

"I don't live anywhere," he answered shortly, looking directly at him for a brief moment. Something akin to discomfort flashed on his face as his eyes - impossibly dark, and obscured by overgrown, tousled hair  - travelled down the planes of Jason's face before settling on the tabletop again.  

"You could," Jason blurted out before he could stop himself. "Stay at camp, that is. Training with others is always beneficial, and there's always room for-"

"How many times are we going to have this conversation?" Nico rolled his eyes, contorting his face into a look of cool disinterest. "Thanks but no thanks. I just prefer doing things on my own, you know that."

_All too well._

"If it's Camp Half-Blood you prefer, you can-"

"Jason, seriously."

"Fine."

When the pair of them finished their lunches, and the rain outside had pitter-pattered to a stop, Jason lead them down the street towards his building with a renewed desire to lighten the mood.

"I'd have thought you'd at least convince someone to be your roommate," Nico said, staring up at all of its twenty-floor glory.

Jason pressed into the metal access code panel. "I'm supposed to be...building character. Or something."

"Thalia?"

"Yeah - ow!" The keypad had shocked  _him_. Of all people.

"Oh, son of Zeus. Thy father's presence will leave you not," Nico grinned slightly, pulling open the door with ease.

"Very funny," Jason grumbled, staring daggers at the back of Nico's head. "That demonic  _thing_  opens for you and not for me? Gods, how is that even a little bit fair, I'm the one who has to live here..."

As they stood in the elevator, Nico broke the silence with a teasing, "Has the building traumatized you somehow?"

"I don't want to talk to about it," Jason sniffed. "I get nightmares."

Nico snorted, and Jason felt that maybe things could fall back into place again for them.

Once inside, Jason shrugged off his jacket and kicked off his shoes, looking over his shoulder to see that Nico was still standing at the open door, scanning his sparse apartment. Thalia had purchased a few odd pieces of furniture for him. A cluster of boxes remained unopened beside the home theatre system Jason had proudly set up for himself. It had all gone smoothly until, of course, the cable began acting up and Jason had to spend a disgusting amount of minutes talking on the phone with The Most Unhelpful Person on the Planet. He was switching to Rogers.

"Very...minimalist?" Nico commented, closing the door behind him after a moment of silent pondering. His socked feet slid against the laminate floors as he ventured into the kitchen.

"My bedroom's over there. One bathroom," Jason pointed down the corridor as he settled on his couch. "The kitchen's nice, I guess, but it's not like I cook."

"So what's there to hate?" Nico raised an eyebrow, plopping down beside Jason. "A granite countertop is hardly a thing of nightmares."

"I've had nothing but bad luck since getting here. It's  _cursed_ , I tell you." Jason widened his eyes in mock fear, blinking earnestly down at Nico.  

"The granite countertop?" Nico smirked, his gaze darting away again.  

Jason rolled his eyes, "This entire place. I'm being set up somehow, I just know it."

"You should get that checked out," Nico said, tilting his head back against the couch.

"What?" Jason's eyes settled on the movements of Nico's neck, watching the shadows of his hair ripple against it. He caught two jagged white lines travelling down between his collarbones and disappearing under his rain-dampened clothes.  

"Your paranoia."  

"Your diagnosis is invaluable, Doctor di Angelo, really it is."

Nico laughed, a long, full sound of genuine amusement. Jason felt instantly gratified.

His hair fell forward as he lifted himself up, leaning over to rest his forearms on his thighs. His skin, considerably darker since the last time Jason had seen him -  _someone's finally seen the light of day_ , he thought - broke the monotony of his sombre ensemble.  

"Is that - is that the new Mythomagic video game?" The sunken lines around his eyes eased momentarily. "I mean, the video games suck - I haven't played in ages, either way-" He cut himself off, barely repressed curiosity flashing on his face.

"It's Frank's. It's been getting decent reviews. Not nearly as bad as the one that came out - what was it? A year ago?" Jason inquired innocently. "I don't suppose you'd want to play?"  

"I - yeah. That'd be cool," Nico blinked, already halfway out of his jacket.

Hook, line, and sinker.  _You're not escaping me this time, Nico di Angelo_.    

 


	2. Unwanted Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere along the line he realized that he might appreciate Jason's friendship just a little too much.

Nico woke the next morning with a distinct stiffness in his neck from falling asleep in an uncomfortably curled position on Jason's couch.

Had they really spent the entire afternoon (and evening, apparently) yesterday playing video games? Disoriented as he was, Nico couldn't quite be sure.  

Sometime in the night he had shed both his hoodie and jacket, the latter of which he vaguely remembered tossing over Jason after shoving him off the couch. _Politely_ , he thought. _Maybe_. Nico shifted from his back to his side, mussed blonde hair and large, lean limbs coming into focus. His half-closed eyes traced the contours of Jason's shoulders and arms, watching them tense and relax as he adjusted himself in his sleep. He hadn't changed at all, had he? If anything, he had only gotten...

Nico sat up, lifting an achy arm to run his fingers through his hair. A painful reminder of all that he had left behind resounded sharply in his chest.

First, he had run from Percy. It hadn't taken long to get over him once he had finally decided to tell Hazel the truth. He had given her permission to tell who she wanted to, because he trusted her judgement more than his own, and he knew Percy had probably figured it all out by now. He had run and run and run until he no longer felt like he'd fall apart from embarrassment.

Then, he had run from Jason and Hazel's insistence that he stay at camp like everyone else. To stay would mean to inject himself into the horribly optimistic atmosphere around them, forcing himself to commit to being reliable and present and he just...wasn't. He couldn't.

Worst of all was running from Jason. He just wouldn't give up, would he? Whether that was wanting to be Nico's friend or wanting Nico to open up to him...he was a constant, never ending stream of electric blue eyes, comforting smiles, and I'm here for you's. He was too close and then he was too far and somewhere along the line he realized that he might appreciate Jason's friendship just a little too much.   

 _Nope_ , he shook his head to himself. _No dwelling. I'm not dwelling._  

Once safely inside the bathroom and away from the object of his thoughts, Nico searched around the cabinet under the sink for unopened toothbrushes. He busied himself with cleaning up, contemplating whether or not he should do something about his hair.

"I have no one to impress, I have no one to impress," Nico chanted under his breath, minty foam threatening to spill from his mouth. "I have - oh, fuck it." 

He spent the next few minutes fussing with the strands that refused to lie flat. How did Jason's just do that _thing_ that it does, even when he was dead to the world?

"April, you really shouldn't have."

Nico turned his head at the sound of Jason's Friendly-And-Popular-Ex-Praetor voice.

Suspicious.  

"It's really nothing," someone unfamiliar - a girl - was saying as he exited the bathroom.

He warily walked back into the living room, stopping short at the scene before him. Jason was leaning against the door frame, holding what looked to be a pie. He chatted amiably to an undoubtedly pretty Asian girl that stood outside, fingers running through the spiky, disheveled strands of his hair.   

She took half a step forward and an alarm went off in Nico's head. He suspected Jason wasn't even aware of the effect he had.  

"Granny insisted that I bring some over," she smiled, fiddling with the end of her long braid. "Besides, now you won't have to make breakfast!"

Jason grinned. "Well, it really is nice of you both to think to bring me any. I had some friends over last week and they really enjoyed the last one Mrs. Jeong sent over."

Correction; it was his friendly, popular, and _charming_ ex-praetor voice.

When she finally left, Jason turned away from the door, jumping when his eyes landed on Nico. 

"Gods - you scared me!"

Was his hair really that bad?

"Free pies and an apartment most teenagers would probably not be able to afford on their own," Nico said, his voice dangerously close to a monotone. "What exactly is there to despair about?"

"April and her grandmother are really, _really_ nice-" Jason began, heading towards the kitchen.

"I'm sure," Nico deadpanned, crossing his arms almost defensively as he followed behind.

"-but their baking...kind of sucks," Jason sighed, setting the pie down on the counter. "It's wrong _not_ to eat them, right?" 

"So, you lied." Nico tried not to let the triumph he felt show on his face as he slid onto a stool. "To 'really, _really_ nice' April Jeong."

"I will not be responsible for breaking her granny's morale." Jason shrugged, a sheepish expression crossing his face. "Also, Leo and Piper did enjoy making fun of me about it."  

Nico smirked, catching the fork that Jason tossed towards him. He helped himself to a generous forkful of whatever-fruit-it-was pie.

"I should warn you-"

Nico gagged, just a little.    

-/-

The next morning, Nico stayed far, far away from Granny Jeong's baking.  

 Jason smiled serenely, lacing his fingers together as he sat on the other side of the counter. "Are you sure you don't want any p-"

"That," Nico almost shuddered, pulling open the fridge. "Belongs to a grade of food that shouldn't even _exist_." 

"You're going to shatter that poor woman's dreams, di Angelo."

"Someone needs to." He rolled his eyes, grabbing a box of eggs and half a loaf of bread. "This is literally the only food you have? Typical."

"Nico di Angelo cooks." Jason raised his eyebrows, resting his chin on his hands. "Be still my heart."

"Put a sock in it, Grace," Nico sighed, "And find me some sugar."

Jason hopped up from his seat, his lips quirking in amusement. "What're we making?"

" _I_ am making french toast. You can starve, for all I care."

Jason's smile stretched wider and Nico wished he cared a little less. 

-/-

It was only two days later when Nico had shadow travelled for the second time for new clothes that he realized something. He, the unanimously decided house guest, would make breakfast - as Jason lacked any culinary skill - and they would spend the rest of their morning arguing about everything from Mythomagic to how Jason chose to wash his dishes. They would eat out for lunch and spend the afternoon wandering outside, returning to Jason's place - and Nico had to remind himself that it was _Jason's_ place and not public domain - when they were hungry enough to spend the night eating takeout, playing video games, and streaming animes.    

They had somehow set a routine for themselves and Nico felt that maybe, just maybe, he was overstepping.  

"Don't be stupid," Jason rolled his eyes when Nico brought it up as they hauled Jason's dirty clothes down to the building's laundry room. "It's not like I don't have space."

"Don't you have better things to do than play shitty host? Like, I don't know, camp related things?"

"First of all, I'm a wonderful host. Who else would feed you pizza five nights in a row?" Jason opened the first empty washing machine he could find, unceremoniously dumping in his clothes. "Second, I'm heading down there tomorrow to help out. No big deal, you could even come with me." 

Nico refrained from answering. Instead, he gestured to the machine. "You're...not even going to sort anything?"

"No?"

"You really shouldn't be living alone. You're incapable."

"Then maybe you should live with me," Jason said, turning to face him with an odd expression on his face. "You said it yourself, it's not like me not to have a roommate."

Nico's stomach twisted with discomfort - and something else that he chose to ignore. He pulled at his sleeves, shaking his head. "I'll be gone tomorrow."

"Gone where?" Jason asked, a note of exasperation in his voice as he bent over to pick up a bottle of Tide. "Italy again? Or maybe a different holiday destination this time?"

"I have things to do too, you know." Nico rubbed the back of his neck. It was time, right? It always came to this. "For...my dad."

"You're a teenager, Nico." Jason fixed his eyes on Nico's face, unnervingly focused. "He doesn't need you to be there all the time."

"And you do?" Nico questioned, narrowing his eyes. "Need me to be here?"

They stood still for a moment, the silence that followed punctured only by the odd _ka-plunk_ , _ka-plunk_ sound of the washing machine. Nico crossed his arms, waiting.

"I would like you to be." Jason's gaze softened, and he shrugged. "Contrary to what you believe, you're actually decent company. Kind of an asshole, most of the time, but-"

"And you're kind of an idiot." Nico raked a hand through his hair, wishing his cheeks would stop heating up.

"See what I mean?" Jason sighed dramatically, throwing his hands up. "You just can't help yourself, can you?"

"Shut it, Grace. If you hadn't noticed, your machine's freaking out."

"Is it not supposed to do that?" Jason wrinkled his nose at the sputtering machine. "Huh. Of all the machines in here, I chose the one that's possessed. It's cur-"

Nico raised a hand in protest. "Don't even say it. I'm sure the god of domestic chores is above curses."

Jason snorted, giving Nico a shove. "Less standing around, more helping."

The tension in the air melted away. Another day probably couldn't hurt.   

-/-

It happened while they were in the middle of marathoning the fourth season of Doctor Who. Nico's eyes were drooping, and he felt his body slump to the side against something solid. He snuggled further into its warmth, half aware of what he was doing. His mouth opened in a deep, slow yawn, and he felt someone's breath brushing against his cheek.

"Nico-" Jason's voice, soft against his hair. Jason's fingers trailing along his arm. Was he in the middle of a dream or a horrible, horrible nightmare?

"Jason!" Piper's - Piper's? - voice called, her smiling face suddenly appearing before them. She sat cross legged on a patch of grass, one hand fiddling with the beads in her hair. "Hey, this is kind of unexpected but - _Nico?_ "

"What kind of time do you call this for an Iris Message?" Jason said, looking pained as Nico jostled awake.

Nightmare. This had to be a nightmare.

His dark eyes widened, and he shoved himself to the opposite side of the couch so fast that he might as well have shadow-travelled.  

"Oh, get over it." Piper rolled her eyes, leaning back on her arms. "You were clearly awake."

"I was _busy_." Jason's jaw tensed a little, an edge to his voice that Nico had never heard before.  

"So I see," Piper grinned, her eyes flitting to Nico's "I didn't know you were visiting, Nico! It's nice to see you."

"You too," Nico practically squeaked. He bit the insides of his cheek, wondering what was going through her head.

"Anyway, I wanted to invite you to a party we're having here." An odd look of amusement passed on her face as she looked between Jason and Nico. "No special occasion or anything, but everyone's going to be there. You should come too, Nico!"

"Oh, I - I don't kn-" Nico began, stumbling over his words. He was still in shock.  

"Yeah, we'll just take that direct line from Camp Jupiter," Jason nodded, scratching his head. "It should be fun."  

"Awesome! I haven't seen you in forever," Piper beamed. "Hey, Nico, would you mind letting me talk to Jason alone for a second?"   

"No, go ahead." Nico stood, studiously avoiding Jason's gaze as he lifted himself off the couch.

He took in a deep breath, feet hurriedly taking him to the kitchen.  

Bits and pieces of Piper and Jason's conversation floated towards him as he filled a glass with water.

"Jason, do you have any idea what you're doing to yourself?"

"Piper, honestly-"

"I'm just worried, that's all! Aren't you...uncomfortable?"

Nico froze, setting the glass down.

"Yeah - yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

What had she meant by uncomfortable?

"Nico?" Jason's voice called from the living room.

Nico cleared his throat, emerging from the kitchen. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, she was just checking up on me," Jason laughed, pausing the TV. "You know Pipes."

Nico blinked. "So, you and Piper are okay now? After breaking up?"

"We broke up a while ago, Nico," Jason said, and they looked at each other for the first time since Piper's unexpected appearance. "She was one of my best friends before we dated, and she always will be."

"That's...good," Nico nodded, more enthusiastically than he felt. "It's getting late. I think we should go to sleep."

"Oh - okay. Goodnight, Nico." Jason gave him a small smile, taking a step backward towards the corridor leading down to his bedroom.

"Night, Jason."

_And you do? Need me to be here?_

_I would like you to be._

Nico wasn't so sure anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it, part 2. I hope Nico was in-character, because we are totally doing this alternating POV thing. 
> 
> This is my first time writing a Jasico fic. Actually, this is my first time writing any kind of pjo/hoo fic. I hope it's not a train wreck in the making!


	3. Two Steps Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Without even stopping to think about it, he pressed his palms into the grass and leaned forward.

Piper McLean was Enemy Number One on Jason's hit list.

Her timing - impeccable as always - could not have made things more inconvenient for him. Jason had finally felt that Nico was allowing himself to become comfortable around him, if the night before had been any indication. It was actually kind of adorable, the way his head had lolled inch by inch to the side until he had slackened against him.

However, he could tell something had gone horribly wrong when Nico had failed to say more than two words to him that morning.

"You really have something against that rock, huh?" Hazel raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the slab of stone that Jason had been hacking away at.

"Huh?" Jason looked up, his hand relaxing around the hilt of his dagger.  

"Something on your mind, Jason?" she asked, taking a seat beside him on the bench.

_Just your brother. What else is new?_

"Plotting murder, defiling nature. The usual kind of thing," he shrugged, tossing the rock back onto the ground with more force than necessary.

She gave him an amused smile as Nico walked up to them, fresh from his first few sparring sessions of the day.

"I like this a lot better than training indoors," he said, avoiding Jason's attempts to meet his eyes. He sat down on Hazel's other side, kissing her temple as he did.

Maybe it hadn't been Piper at all. Maybe it was _him_.      

"The weather's nice today," Hazel commented, glancing up the cloudless sky. She turned to look at her brother, smiling broadly. "Thanks for coming, Nico."

He ducked his head, glancing at Jason quickly. "It's not...so bad. All of this." He swept his hand outward, gesturing to the other demigods that were out on the field. The sound of metal clanging was submerged in the laughter and shouts of campers.

"You're only saying that because you won all three of your fights," he said, turning to give Nico a hesitant grin over Hazel's head.

"You were watching?" Nico asked slowly, as though he had forgotten how to speak to Jason. He tugged at the strings of his hoodie and Hazel gave them both a questioning look.   

"Once in a lifetime opportunity," Jason teased and Nico managed a half-smile.

Despite the renewed awkwardness between them, dragging Nico along with him had been one of his better ideas. Or so he had thought.  

-/-

It had only been an hour, but Jason was having a particularly difficult time concentrating.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye, despite being in the middle of fighting Frank. Nico had taken off his hoodie, revealing a black cut-off t-shirt that did nothing to hide the impressive strength of his swings against his opponent. Jason's own movements lost momentum for a second as he watched Nico in action.

"...and all you're doing is slacking off," Frank was saying, his sword slamming down against Jason's.

"What? I'm completely kicking your ass!" Jason shook his head, refocusing his attention back to the task at hand. Metal slashed across the air as he shot forward.    

Frank rolled his eyes, swerving out of the way. "Something on your mind, Jason?"

Jason raised an eyebrow, ducking as Frank's sword swiped above him. "Are you and Hazel planning an intervention?"

"What?" He frowned slightly as Jason clipped him on the shoulder.

"Never mind." Jason shook his head, gradually slowing his steps.  

"Should we be planning an intervention?" Frank asked as they staggered to a stop, lifting his arm to inspect the damage done. "Just a scratch. You really _are_ slacking, Jason."

"Just not feeling up to it today, I guess," Jason shrugged, letting his sword drop to the ground and stretching his arms above his head.

"That doesn't sound very Jason Grace to me," Frank said, looking concerned. "Is it Nico?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jason said, keeping his voice neutral.

"I have _eyes_ , Jason."

Jason sighed, releasing his breath in a long, overdrawn exhale. "I think I'm scaring him off."

"Did you profess your undying love for him or something?" Frank joked, polishing the hilt of his sword with the hem of his SPQR shirt. 

"I do not have _undying love_ for Nico," Jason deadpanned, narrowing his eyes.

"Close enough," Frank shrugged. "It's not like you not to do something about it, though."

Jason gnawed on the insides of his cheeks, his self-restraint waning as he snuck another glance at Nico. The boy in question was currently toying with a javelin, as though debating the best way in which to attack someone with it.

"He still thinks I only like girls."

Frank looked up at him in surprise. "Seriously? _Everyone_ knows you're bisexual. Your _dad_ knows you're bisexual."

Jason cleared his throat. "I - uh - haven't gotten around to telling Nico. Yet."

Frank blinked at him, unimpressed.

"There never seems to be a good time for it! And...and..."

"And you don't want him thinking that you only want to be his friend because you're attracted to him?" Frank nodded, looking far too knowing for his own good.

"I'm _more_ than attracted to him." Jason sighed again, bending to pick up his sword. "And that's the problem."

Frank gave him a look of sympathy. "You should just tell him. You might not see it, but I think he-"

"Hey, Jason?" a small, timid voice asked.

Jason turned to see a crowd of eleven and twelve-year-olds that he recognized looking up at him expectantly.

The head of the group, a freckly little brunette kid, said, "Could you teach us some of those moves you did? Praetor Zhang never loses to _anyone_ , but he loses to you-"

Frank didn't look too amused by this comment. 

"Me too, teach me too!"

"Alright, alright, one at a time," Jason smiled, laughing when Frank nudged him forcefully with his shoulder.   

The rest of the day was spent helping the younger kids handle their weapons, and Jason couldn't help but feel just a little bit lighter.       

-/-

"I saw you instructing those kids," Nico said when Jason collapsed on the grass across from him. The day's training had trickled to an end, and most campers were sprawled out on the field to rest. "You're good with them."   

"You think?" Jason said, a familiar insecurity bubbling in the pits of his stomach. "It's just something I've been doing to help out. Reyna says that I let the younger kids get away with too much, but how else are they supposed to learn, right?" He laughed a little, wiping the sweat off the back of his neck. "You should see Percy though, he's a complete natural - professional, too-"

"You are too," Nico interjected, and Jason looked up to see that a smirk was playing on his mouth. "You're a legend around here. Everyone really respects you, and anything you have to teach them."

Jason mulled this over in his head for a moment. He had never considered his training of the younger kids to be anything serious. His options were plenty, being who he was, but he had absolutely no idea what he wanted to do.

"You're going to college, right?" Nico inquired.

Jason nodded. "That's another reason why I moved away from camp." 

"You should think about teaching," Nico suggested, shrugging. "Someday." 

"Seriously?" Jason raised his eyebrows. 

"You're a dumbass, but I think you're capable enough."

"...Thanks?"

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Jason crossed his legs, glancing at the boy in front of him thoughtfully. 

Nico's cheeks were still a little flushed from the day's exercise, the collar of his shirt clinging to a thin veil of sweat on his olive skin. He seemed to notice this too, as he began pulling at the fabric to give himself some air.

Jason wished his heart would stop hammering _so damn hard_ against his chest.

Nico's eyes met Jason's - the sun above them lighting the brown in them  - as his hand snaked across his torso to massage away the soreness in his arms. Jason's gaze ran along the lines of Nico's shoulders and jaw before settling on the surprising fullness of his bottom lip.

Without even stopping to think about it, he pressed his palms into the grass and leaned forward.

Nico peered up at him in question as Jason tilted his face down towards his.

"What are you..." Nico murmured, hesitantly placing a hand on Jason's knee.

A jolt shot through Jason's abdomen. Was he really going to-

"There you guys are!" a voice thundered from behind the pair, and Jason scooted back as though a brick wall had slammed between them. 

"P-Percy?" Nico stammered, turning his wide eyes from Jason to their intruder.  

"Long time no see," Percy grinned good-naturedly, raising one arm in greeting.

Yet another name to add to the hit list. Jason pushed himself off the ground, face burning.

Percy glanced down at the watch on his wrist. "There's about...an hour left until the portal opens again. Annabeth sent me over to make sure you get across okay."

His green eyes scanned the disheveled appearances of the younger boys and he said, "You should definitely shower first."

"How does this between-camps portal work, anyway?" Nico asked, scrambling up from the grass. Jason felt his stomach drop to his feet; he seemed so eager to get away from him.

"It's a lot easier than shadow travelling," Percy said, delving into an in-depth explanation of the most intricate of the Gods' gifts to the demigods after Gaea's defeat. "But it feels really similar-"

Jason tuned them out. He had taken one step forward, and had fallen two steps behind. 

-/-

A tent had been set up on the beach, under which Annabeth and a handful of other campers were serving drinks and hotdogs. The setting sun acted as a backdrop to the crowd that had gathered along the shore, and Leo had even started a bonfire for the sole purpose of making s'mores.

"They sure know how to throw a party on short notice," Nico commented, surveying the impromptu volleyball game that had started. Jason was tempted to join, if only to play against the combined forces of Enemy Number One and Two, but he refused to leave Nico by himself.  

"You can play if you want," Nico said, looking to where his eyes had strayed.

"No, that's okay," Jason said, shaking his head reassuringly. "I'd rather just watch with you."

The shorter boy blinked up at him for a moment. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, before asking, "Jason...do I make you uncomfortable?"

Jason frowned, dumbfounded. "Of course not. What gave you that idea?"

Nico flushed, his shoulders angling away from him. "It's...nothing. Never mind."

They stood in silence for a moment before Jason said, nervously running a hand through his hair, "Um - about earlier-"

They were interrupted by a booming voice calling their names. "There are s'mores to be consumed and friends _you don't see nearly enough_ to hang out with! What are you two even doing over there?" Leo was shouting, his arms flailing wildly above his head. Jason stuck his middle finger up at him and watched as Leo grinned broadly in response, plopping back down onto the sand and putting his arm around Calypso's shoulders. She shook her head, unfazed by her boyfriend's obnoxious behaviour.

Jason rolled his eyes, gesturing towards the bonfire. "I think they think we're being antisocial."

"I don't think I want to know what Leo's definition of social is," Nico said dryly as they treaded towards their friends.

Jason took the free spot beside Leo, watching disappointedly as Nico found his way to the other side of the fire, settling down next to a light-haired guy that Jason didn't know.

"Stare a little harder, I don't think he saw you," Leo said, handing him a can of Coca Cola.

"Why is everyone suddenly so observant today?" Jason grumbled, cracking open the can.

"Well, I heard from Piper that _someone's_ been very secretively boarding at Casa Grace for the last week. I'll give you a hint, that someone likes the colour black, might as well be called Grumpy the Dwarf-"

Jason jabbed him in the ribs, and Leo laughed.  

Calypso stuck a marshmallow on the end of a stick. "I heard the same from Annabeth. She actually heard from Percy, who heard from Piper-"

"Really? It's gotten around that fast?"

"Are you all gossiping about me now behind my back? Is that it?" Jason said, slightly irritated by the couple. "And to think I call you all friends."

"You've only just noticed that we gossip about you? We _have_ been discreet," Leo grinned, looking impressed. He raised his hand for a high five, which Calypso promptly ignored.

"Oh, come on."

"I don't gossip. I was merely curious," she said, looking a little sheepish as she turned to give Jason an apologetic look. "You _know_ how I feel about unrequited love."

"It's not unrequited love!" Jason said, louder than he meant to.

Nico looked up from his conversation with Unknown Blonde Boy, raising an eyebrow at Jason from across the fire. Jason suddenly felt very, very warm.

_Gods, I hope he isn't listening to this..._

"He loves you back?" Calypso said, her smile widening. "That's so-"

"No, that's - no!" Jason spluttered, crossing his arms. "Nothing like that is going on."    

"Could have fooled me," Leo snorted. "You've been side-stepping around each other for months and frankly, it's exhausting to watch."

"My life is not a soap opera for you to critique."

"It may be a badly written young adult novel, though." Calypso shot him a look. "No? Greek tragedy?"

"Roman tragedy," Jason said grimly.

Leo pressed a s'more into his free hand, and Jason looked at him in question.

"Comfort food," he said, patting him on the back. "You look like you need it."

"Thanks," Jason replied, shoving the gooey mass into his mouth.

He looked ahead of him again, frowning at the scene before him. The boy that Nico was talking to seemed to be sitting much closer now, and there was an unmistakable blush on Nico's face.

Were they...was that kid _flirting_ with him?

Jason decided, in that moment, that he needed at least twenty more s'mores and another can of Coke to get through the night.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "...revealing a black cut-off t-shirt..."
> 
> That line was 100000000000% self-indulgent, I'm sorry.
> 
> A special thank you to WiseGirlKnowsAll for editing and reassuring me about my writing :)


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